


Missing

by VeloxVoid



Category: Free!, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - Fandom
Genre: Being Lost, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Gay Awakening, Gay Panic, Gen, Lost Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25048771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeloxVoid/pseuds/VeloxVoid
Summary: Of course Nagisa finds a way to get lost on the gang’s way to Kisumi's party. Rei realises he is way more worried than he should be.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa & Ryuugazaki Rei, Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Comments: 9
Kudos: 37





	Missing

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Cloudsuu, who asked me to write this piece! It was so fun, and I'm sorry I managed to turn a slight "Nagisa" prompt into a Reigisa mess ^^;

“Guys… Where’s Nagisa?”

Two sets of eyes widened at Rei Ryugazaki – one the deep sapphire of the summer ocean, and one the virescent green of forests. The heads of Haruka and Makoto whipped around, scanning the masses of the train carriage for the mess of honey-blonde hair that would indicate the whereabouts of their friend. Iwatobi’s swim club began to scour their surroundings, people pressing in all around them, as the train rushed through a tunnel.

“Did he get on the train with us?” Rei asked his friends, panic rising audibly in his voice.

“I’m not sure,” Haru responded calmly, trying to peer around the middle-aged business-people surrounding him.

“Who was he with last!?” Makoto squawked, somehow even more panicked than Rei.

“He was with _me_ at the station,” Rei answered, skin beginning to prickle in uneasiness. Trying desperately to soothe the panic inside him, he took a deep breath and continued to look around, seeing no indication of Nagisa. “We were standing together as the train came in…”

Rei recalled the pandemonium of the train station outside, standing upon a platform and being bustled about by people rushing to and fro. Rei had felt Nagisa scrabble at his arm, had heard his joyful voice become lost in the babble around him, and now – now that they’d safely boarded…

He was gone.

“Can’t see him anywhere,” said Haru with a little shrug. And he was right – there was no sign of Nagisa at all.

“Okay, well, we’ll arrive at the next stop soon,” Makoto was saying through ragged breaths, trying to calm himself. “We’ll just get off there and call him, and maybe he can grab the next train to come find us!”

Rei bit his lip. “Good idea,” he nodded.

“Ohh, why does everything have to go wrong!?” Makoto then whined. “We’re late for Kisumi’s party as it is, and now we _lose_ _Nagisa!?”_

“This is all my fault.” The pang of guilt stung in Rei’s throat, and he found his eyelashes beating back tears. “He’s probably terrified, the crowds here are so overbearing...”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Makoto’s hand came up to rub Rei’s lower back, but pulled away quickly upon feeling the clamminess of his skin through his thin blue shirt.

“He’ll be fine,” Haru said soothingly, looking into Rei’s eyes, his own calm and still. “He’s smart. He’ll know what to do.”

That did not soothe Rei. Rushing through his head were images of Nagisa, cowering and crying in the corner of the station, or being whisked away by somebody untrustworthy.  _ No _ – that couldn’t happen--

“Let’s head to the doors,” Haru suggested, breaking through Rei’s nightmare.

What was happening to Rei? Why was he so worried all of a sudden? Of course, it was natural to be worried in a situation such as this, but the fear that had leapt into his throat in one hard lump was something he’d never experienced before. His chest was tight, and swimming through his mind was only one thought:

_ Please let him be okay... _

The three of them shuffled their way through the crammed train carriage until they reached the doors, prepared to exit as soon as they opened. Sure enough, the train began to slow, and before long they became met with the unfamiliar surroundings of the next train station.

Kisumi lived further out into the countryside, and it showed: Rei, Makoto, and Haru hopped lightly off the train through the open doors to be met with fresh air and a cooling breeze through their hair. Rolling fields could be seen in the distance – the same startling colour as Makoto’s eyes beneath the late-afternoon sun – and small silhouettes of farm animals could be seen grazing upon them

The azure sky above them and the quaintness of this place soothed Rei’s nerves a little. There were fewer people here bustling about, yet the occasional pedestrian lingered, waiting with a suitcase or sitting eating lunch on a bench. Nagisa, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Try calling him,” Haru said, and Makoto wasted no time in pulling out his phone.

“Well, he’s not sent any texts...” he said before holding the phone up to his ear, leading Rei and Haru to check theirs as well; they both came away with a face of dismay upon having no new notifications. “It’s gone straight to voicemail,” Makoto growled at last.

“Well…” Rei’s voice shook as he tried to think rationally.  _ Why hasn’t he texted us, or called us? Why is it going straight to voicemail--!? _ “Maybe we should check outside.”

Despite Makoto’s face looking hopeless – why on Earth would he be outside of this train station? – he nodded his head. “There’s no harm in checking.”

The small, squat building of the train station was small, and the swimmers passed through it in mere seconds. Exiting the station into the somewhat balmy summer heat, they found cars flying down the road outside and business people flurrying by on their way home from work.

“Doesn’t look like he’s here,” Haru said, shielding his eyes against the blaring sun.

Makoto looked down to his phone once again and looked back up in despair. “We could just hang around, to see if he shows up?”

“I don’t know,” Rei said, guilt eating away at him. “I feel like we should go back in—“ But a loud, drawn-out beeping sound to their right cut him off, causing the three young men to all turn towards the noise. A hold-up had been caused down the road, and it seemed a large truck was blocking the street.

“Looking for something?” A voice behind them made Rei and Makoto start, and they each turned to find themselves face-to-face with two people. Nagisa stood beaming, blonde curls shining in the bright sunlight, magenta eyes creased in the sun's glare.

_ “Nagisa!” _ Rei and Makoto screamed, throwing themselves on the boy. The voice had not come from their young friend, however: next to him stood a taller, almost foreboding figure, one hand in the pocket of his tight black jean-shorts, the other holding the lollipop stick that he sucked on with smirking lips.

Rei almost couldn't believe his eyes. "Rin?"

Rin Matsuoka flicked fiery hair out of his eyes. “You ought to take better care of your little one.”

“H-How did you find him!?” Makoto asked.

“He’s coming to Kisumi’s party, too!” Nagisa sang, hugging each of his friends in turn. Haru seemed exasperated as his ribs were squeezed. “I fell over my shoelaces and missed the train… But luckily Rin had missed it too!”

Rin shrugged. “I assumed you’d get off the train as soon as you realised he wasn’t with you. So, we got a taxi here. Turns out it’s quicker than the train itself.” And he gave a wink.

Rei was about to smile and thank him, before it was his turn to be pulled into a hug by Nagisa. Makoto and Haru began laughing with Rin about the ordeal they’d had, but Rei’s focus was on the boy in his arms. He looked down at Nagisa, who beamed back up at him, and felt his heart skip a beat.

“We were so worried about you,” he said softly, realising the fear in his chest had manifested into something much nicer – much sweeter. The scent of Nagisa’s hair filled his nose, floral and delicious, and he could not help but feel… adoration. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”


End file.
